Book index



July 28, 1942. g, FR IFELD 2,291,573

BOOK INDEX Filed Dec. 20, 1941 WW/X &

INVENTOR.

BY /fl ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 28, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOOK INDEX Benjamin B. Freifeld, New York, N. Y. Application December 20, 1941, Serial No. 423,787

6 Claims.

This invention relates to book and indexes therefor and more particularly to indexes for bound phonograph record albums, record books, and other bound books in which the index is prepared as the records are placed in the bound pages.

One of the important features of the invention resides in a normally concealed book index which may be referred to without necessitating the withdrawal of the book from a supporting shelf, thus saving time and labor on the part of a person seeking matter among a set of like index books.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a pocket in the back of a bound book which opens through the top of the back binding, which pocket slidably receives an index strip on which index indicia is written or printed, said indicia being correlated with the contents of the book, whereby the book may be partially slid outwardly from a supporting shelf and the index strip withdrawn from the pocket for reference purposes.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a book index removably contained within the back binding of a book, which is normally concealed and out of sight so as not to detract from the appearance of the book nor interfere with its insertion or removal from a shelf or book case.

Other features of the invention are; to provide a book index having the above characteristics which is inexpensive of construction, which reenfcrces the back of the book to strengthen the same; and in which the finger gripping end I of the index strip is easily accessible when the strip is in its concealed position within the book back.

Other novel features of theinvention will become apparent as the following specification is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure l is a perspective view of the invention embodied in a phonograph record album, illustrating the index strip in a partially slid out position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view through the back of the book with the index strip fully inserted into its receiving pocket.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the index strip per se.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the numeral Iii designates my combined book and index which in this instance is shown as a phonograph record album, although the invention is adaptable for use in various other bound books. The book and index It includes a wood back member I I having an outer convexly curved back face I2 and a flat inner face i3. Adhesively secured to the curved face I2 is the back section I 4 of a flexible cover binding sheet l5 which may be leather, imitation leather, fabric or the like. The, binding sheet I5 extends beyond the sides of the back section M to provide cover sections Iii-46 which are adhesively secured to the outer surfaces of stiff cover members |l-il and which sections l6 have their edges infolded about the cover members and adhesively secured thereto. The construction so far described constitutes the outer covering or binding unit for a bound page unit [8.

The bound page unit iii in this instance comprises a plurality of phonograph record receiving paper pockets E9, the inner edges of which are spaced apart by cardboard spacer strips 20 and to which the said inner edges are glued or otherwise fixedly secured. Metal stitching 2| passes through the outermost strips 20 and end pockets to cooperate with the glue in holding the pockets !9 bound together. Adhesively secured to the fiat bound inner edges of the pages or pockets I9 is a cardboard backing strip 22 hav-- ing its longitudinal edges folded rearwardly upon itself to provide spacer fiaps 23 which are glued to the body of the strip.

The bound page unit I8 is enclosed and bound in the outer binding unit by placing the same therein with the spacer flaps 23 against the flat surface l3 of the back member II and securing the same thereto by glue or other adhesive. The width of the backing strip 22 is substantially equal to that of the flat surface [3 and the intermediate spacer flaps 23 act to provide an index receiving pocket 24 extending the full length of the back binding. The ends of the back member I l and bound inner ends of the page unit l8 terminate short of the corresponding end edges of the cover binding [5. These ends are covered by a binding material 25 similar to the cover binding material Hi. The material 25 is slit as at 26 at the top end of the pocket 24 to provide an entrance thereto. To reenforce the inner ends of the bound pages l9. cross strips 21 are glued to the edges thereof and the same covered by flexible covering material 28. Hinge strips 40-40 are adhesively secured to the covers l'lll and to the outermost pages to reenforce the hinge loonnections between the covers and the back.

From the description thus far, it will be understood that I have provided a bound book having an index strip receiving pocket 24 which opens through the top of the back of the book inwardly of the plane of the edges of the cover and back. Freely slidable into and out of the pocket 24 is an elongated index strip 29 made of cardboard, stifi paper, Celluloid or other like material. Folded about the top edge of the strip 29 and adhesively secured to opposite sides of the strip is a strip of flexible material which provides a thickened head or manipulating portion 30. The thickness of the body of the strip 29 is such as to freely enter the pocket 24 whereas the thickness of the portion 30 is greater than the width of the entrance to the pocket so as to abut the top of the back member H and backing strip 22 when the index strip is fully inserted into the pocket so as to limit insertion of the same. When the index strip is fully inserted, the manipulating portion 30 is disposed inwardly of the adjacent edges of the covers and back so as to be concealed when the book is standing upon a shelf and to prevent interference in sliding the book into and out of its position upon a supporting shelf. Either or both sides of the index strip 29 may have ruled lines to facilitate the writing-in of index indicia. In use of the invention as a phonograph record album, the names of the records stored in the pocket pages I9 may be recorded upon the sides of the strip 29.

A book and index constructed in accordance with this invention is handy and convenient. Assume that a collection of phonograph records are kept in a number of volumes of record books or albums and that the albums are arranged in a standing side by side arrangement upon a supporting shelf. Should it be desired to remove a particular record from the collection, it is not necessary that the books be removed from the shelf. The books are slid outwardly until the back ends are clear of the shelf, whereupon the index strips 29 are successively withdrawn and may be referred to. This greatly expedites the finding of a record among the albums, and eliminates the labor of entirely removing the albums from the shelf, unless the album contains the record desired.

While I have shown and described what I consider to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that such changes in construction and design as come within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to if desired without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is :1

1. In combination, a book having a back and bound pages, means for binding the bound pages to said back to form an index pocket therebetween which opens through the top of the back, an index strip freely slidable into and out of said pocket through the open top thereof, and a finger grip-ping portion at the top end of said index strip of a thickness greater than the width of the pocket at its top opening for engagement with the top of the walls thereof for limiting the insertion of the index strip into said pocket.

2. In combination, a book having a rigid back and an outer covering connected to said {back together with pages bound to said back and having their inner edges inwardly within the confines of the edges of said covering, a pocket provided in said back having an entrance opening at the top of the same; an index strip freely slidable into and out of said pocket, and means for limiting the insertion of the index strip into said pocket to cause the outer top end to extend beyond the entrance opening and terminate inwardly of the plane of the adjacent edges of the covering, said means comprising an enlarged manipulating portion provided at the top of said index strip which is of a size greater than that of the entrance opening so as to abut the top of said back when fully inserted.

3. In a book having a rigid back member; a plurality of bound pages, a rigid backing strip attached to the back of the bound pages, spacer elements connected to the side edges of the backing strip and adhesively secured to the inner surface of the backing member, the space between the backing member and the backing strip defining a pocket, and an index strip slidably insertible into and out of said pocket.

4. In a book having a rigid back member provided with a flat inner face, a rigid backing strip having inturned folded fiaps confronting and adhesively secured to said flat face to space said strip from said fiat face and define a pocket space therebetween, pages bound to said backing strip, and a book index strip slidable into and out of said pocket.

5. In a book as set forth in claim 4, including finger grip means provided at the top of said strip being of a thickness greater than the width of said pocket for limiting the insertion of the index strip thereinto.

6. In a book having a rigid back, a pocket provided in said back having an entrance opening at the top of said back, an index strip having a flat elongated index body portion adapted to contain index indicia, and an enlarged finger grip portion at the top of the body portion, the finger grip portion being greater than the width of the entrance opening whereby to limit the insertion of the index strip into said pocket with the index portion concealed therein, and to enable the manual withdrawal of the index strip by grasping and pulling upon the enlarged manipulating portion when it is desired to expose the index portion for reference thereto.

BENJAMIN B. FREIFELD. 

